1997 - UT College of Pharmacy ranked seventh in U.S. News & World Report special issue on America's Best Graduate Schools.

1997 - UT and Le Bonheur physician, Dr. Russell Chesney, is invited to a White House ceremony in the Rose Garden to support President Bill Clinton's call for FDA guidelines for testing of pediatric medications in children.

1998 - State of Tennessee allocates funds to help establish the state's first comprehensive center dedicated to women's health. Center of Excellence for Women's Health proposed for placement on UTHSC Memphis campus.

2007 - An international team of researchers from UTHSC, University of Wollongong (Australia), University of California, San Diego and Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (Germany) discovered an explanation for how a deadly strain of "flesh-eating" bacteria evolved to produce serious human infections worldwide.

2008 - A product based on research conducted at UTHSC selected by the Better World Project as one of the top 100 examples from across the globe of how innovation from academic research makes its way to the market.

2008 - The Elvis Presley Memorial Level 1 Trauma Center at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis, which is operated and staffed by UTHSC physicians, was one of a select number of Level 1 trauma centers in the United States chosen to participate in a groundbreaking national clinical trial sponsored by the NIH. The study evaluated the use of hypertonic saline (concentrated salt) solutions given intravenously to patients with traumatic brain injuries.

2008 to Present - Ken Brown, J.D., M.P.A., Ph.D., is the Executive Vice Chancellor at the Health Science Center and the first African American to hold the position.

2009 - Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and UTHSC project to use advanced technology to screen for eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.

2009 - Regional Biocontainment Lab Opens

2009 - Translational Science Research building to be constructed

2009 - Audiology and Speech Pathology Department designated as the State Lead Center of Excellence for Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury.

2009 - Physiology Department ranked fourth in the nation by the Association of Chairs of Departments of Physiology, an affiliate of the American Physiological Society.

1909

Willis Cohoon Campbell opened the Campbell Clinic and helped organize the UT Medical Units. The use of sulfanilamide to prevent infections was his major innovation.

Born in Jackson, Miss., W.C. Campbell was part of the group of prominent Memphis physicians who founded the second Memphis Medical School, which formed a part of the 1911 merger into the University of Tennessee College of Medicine.

1910

William Krauss introduced the oil immersion microscope as a diagnostic tool and would become a faculty member at the UT Medical Units

Dr. William Krauss, who was Memphis' most famous pioneer clinical pathologist, graduated from the Memphis Medical College's two-year program in 1889.

1910

Abraham Flexner's Medical Education in the United States and Canada was published

In 1908 distinguished educator Abraham Flexner was commissioned by Trustees of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to complete and the American Medical Association to prepare a report on medical education.

1911

The Medical Units are located in two buildings, Lindsley Hall, formerly the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Y.M.C.A. Building

Lindsley Hall was renamed in honor of J. Berrien Lindsley, M.D., the principal organizer of the University of Nashville Medical Department.

1912

Eve Hall was built behind Lindsley Hall

The right end of the four-story laboratory, Eve Hall, was named for the famous Paul Fitzsimmons Eve, M.D., who aided in establishing the original Medical Schools in Nashville.

1912

The Baptist Hospital opened its doors

A small group of Southern Baptists sweltered in 90-degree temperatures when they formally opened their 150-bed hospital on the edge of town in 1912.

1913

The UTMU acquired Rogers Hall from the Memphis Hospital Medical College, which housed the College of Dentistry until 1919.

Rogers Hall is named after founding dean William E. Rogers, M.D.

1913

Sara Conyers York was the first woman to graduate with an M.D. degree.

After convincing school authorities of her desire to become a physician, York was admitted into medical school at the age of 32.

1913

August H. Wittenborg hired Orren W. Hyman as an assistant professor of histology and embryology.

1914

Emma Hutson Hutchingson was the first woman to graduate from the College of Pharmacy.

When Hutchingson graduated in 1914 the College of Pharmacy was a part of the College of Medicine.

1916

Minnie Enyeart McClellan was the first woman to receive a D.D.S. degree from the College of Dentistry.

Dr. McClellan from the 1915 Volunteer.

1917

Many faculty request leave to enter the military for deployment during World War I; 3 graduates or alumni lost their lives.

A group portrait of UT volunteers.

1920

O.W. Hyman and A.H. Wittenborg donate part of their salaries to keep the College of Medicine open.

It was a time of crisis for the university, as the College of Medicine was in dire financial straits and about to be closed due to lack of students.

1920

Dental Hygiene courses began.

1921

The UT Doctors Football Team was formed by enthusiastic medicine, dental and pharmacy students, which stimulated the declining student enrollments.

Formed with no financial assistance, increased enrollment was credited to the team, which first year's record was three victories, two losses and a tie.

1921

O.W. Hyman became Administrative Director of the UT Medical Units and would exercise control of the campus for the next 40 years.

Dr. Hyman exerted a tremendous influence over the university, raising its profile and standards for more than 48 years of association.

1921

Methodist Hospital opened its doors.

Methodist Hospital held its opening ceremonies for the first Methodist Hospital Building on All Saints' Day, November 1, 1921.

1923

O.W. Hyman appointed Dean of the College of Medicine.

Dr. Hyman remained in the position until 1957.

1923

Winifred Atkinson appointed Director of Nurses for the Memphis City Hospital.

Atkinson immediately improved the curriculum and worked diligently to raise nursing standards. She was instrumental in moving the Nursing School into the University of Tennessee.

1924

The College of Dentistry required one year of college pre-dental work for admission.

In 1924 Robert Sherman Vinsant, DDS was appointed as the Dental Dean and remained in that position until 1932.

1926

Wittenborg Anatomy Building and Goodman House Dormitory were constructed.

1926

The Memphis Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Hospital building opened.

The Memphis Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital was a three-floor brick building located at 1060 Madison Avenue and was opened by several prominent local ophthalmologists and otolaryngologists. E.C. Ellet was prominent in this hospital.

1928

Mooney Library constructed.

The building was named after C.P.J. Mooney, editor of The Commercial Appeal and a UT Trustee.

1928

Crowe Pharmacy Building constructed.

The building was named after Robert L. Crowe Ph. C, whose name is synonymous with the profession of Pharmacy in Tennessee.

1928

The School of Biological Sciences was established, and the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology are divided into the Department of Physiology and the Department of Pharmacology.

This school was ably led by T.P. Nash from 1928 to 1960.

1930

Hyman institutes the four-quarter system that meant all courses were taught in every semester.

Hyman's Four-Quarter Semester system permitted medical and dental students the opportunity to complete their education in three years or sit out one year to earn money. This system kept enrollment consistent.

1932

The School of Pharmacy began to offer a bachelor's degree.

The Crowe Building housed the College of Pharmacy beginning in 1928.

1933

The UTMU acquired the Rex Club, formerly a private club, and renamed it the University Center.

Located at Dunlap and Madison, the Rex Club was the University of Tennessee-Student Alumni Center from 1933-1969.

1936

College of Dentistry follows Medicine in requiring two years of college prior to enrollment.

The pre-dentistry requirements did not reduce the number of students wanting to become dentists. Rogers Hall housed the College.

1936

John Gaston Hospital built with federal fundsto replace the Memphis City Hospital.

Built in 1898, the Memphis City Hospital was also called the City Hospital and provided clinical hospital training for numerous UT Memphis students for many years.

1936

F. June Montgomery hired. He set the standards for student and alumni affairs.

Montgomery was a University of Tennessee Knoxville alumnus who is well known for offering financial aid, part-time jobs, encouragement and advice for students.

1938

Raphael E. Semmes and Francis Murphey founded the Semmes-Murphey Clinic for Neurosurgery.

The Semmes-Murphey Clinic was the first neurosurgical clinic in Memphis and was located in Baptist Hospital.

1938

Lemuel W. Diggs M.D., organized the first blood bank in the South at the John Gaston Hospital.

Dr. Diggs established the blood bank during a time when Memphis had the highest mortality rates for obstetrical patients in the United States caused by loss of blood.

1939

The first edition of Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics published.

Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics is still the most trusted and widely used resource in orthopaedic surgery. It encompasses information about all of the very latest procedures, techniques and instruments.

1940s

Thomas F. Gailor Memorial Hospital built as a psychiatric hospital and diagnostic clinic.

The hospital was named for Bishop Thomas Frank Gailor, DD (1856-1935) who was the third Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee, the first president of the National Council of the Episcopal Church in North America and the Chancellor of the University of the South, Sewanee.

1943

The U.S. Public Health Service Laboratory supported research on "sludged blood" of malaria leading to the recommendation of atabrine to replace quinine as the drug of choice.

Ducks were used in this research and their quacking could be heard throughout the Quadrangle.

1944

Nationally acclaimed golfer, Cary Middlecoff, graduated from the UT College of Dentistry, as do many sports figures.

The professional golfer comes from a family of dentists. He won many golf tournaments and is most famous for the U.S. Open Golf Championship in 1949.

1947

Bi-phase invented the External Skeletal Fixation Splint.

1948

West Tennessee State Tuberculosis Hospital opened.

The West Tennessee State Tuberculosis Hospital played an important role in the clinical education of medical students and residents.

1948

Alys Harris Lipscomb named first director of the Radioisotope Unit.

Dr. Lipscomb pioneered the planning and implementation necessary for diagnostic and therapeutic application of radio-nuclides in Memphis in collaboration with Dr. Carl Nurnberger-a U.T. radiation physicist.

1949

College of Dentistry moved from Rogers Hall into the newly built College of Dentistry Building.

1954

Dr. VanMiddlesworth came to the University of Tennessee in 1946. His reports and methods provided an important, easily measurable method for determining the amount of radioactive fallout throughout the world after atomic or hydrogen bomb testing.

1955

E.H. Crump Memorial Hospital was built.

The hospital was named for the famous Memphis Mayor and political leader, Edward Hull Crump. When the old maternity wing of John Gaston closed, the Crump Hospital became the primary maternity hospital for the City of Memphis.

Late 1950s

J. N. Etteldorf began administering an NIH grant that served to develop the pediatric subspecialties in the Department of Pediatrics.

The NIH grant lasted eighteen years, one of the longest in UT history.

1957

The Child Development Center was established.

The Child Development Center was originally called the Mental Retardation Clinic and was established in 1957 through a grant by the U. S. Children's Bureau.

1960s

James Hughes, M.D., was the first pediatrician in Memphis to evaluate the usefulness of jet injection.

Native Memphian, Dr. James Hughes, served his internship at John Gaston Hospital and his residency in Pediatrics at both the Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago and the John Gaston Hospital in Memphis.

1960 to 1992

Andrew Lasslo, M.D., developed and directed the UTHSC "Health Care Perspectives" television and radio series.

Dr. Lasslo was a productive and contributing faculty member to the College of Pharmacy. The television series carried by commercial and public service stations in Tennessee provided the audience with health care policy views of nationally prominent and internationally respected clinical specialists and research scientists.

1961

O.W. Hyman, Ph.D., resigned after 48 years, of which 40 were spent as CEO.

Dr. Hyman retired in 1961 and was given a distinguished farewell dinner by his colleagues and friends. The Hyman Administration building was named for him. An audio recording of the retirement dinner is available on our History and Archives pages.

1963 to 1985

J.W. Runyan, M.D. developed the decentralized Clinic Network for Memphis and Shelby County.

Dr. Runyan has made outstanding contributions, both as a health professional and as a caring citizen for the Memphis community.

1969

The Wassell Randolph Student-Alumni Center was opened.

The Student-Alumni Center, named for Wassell Randolph in honor of his long dedicated service as a University of Tennessee Trustee, provides private dining rooms, two student lounges, a reception area, student affairs offices and meeting rooms. It is also home to game rooms, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a weight room and an exercise/aerobic area.

1970s

Fred Hatch, M.D., developed the first chronic hemodialysis unit at the UTHSC.

Dr. Hatch came to Memphis in 1962. He was the first practicing nephrologist in Tennessee.

1973

Dr. Roy graduated from the UT College of Medicine and was selected for the 21st Annual Headliners Award by the Memphis Gridiron Show in 1980.

1978

Rhea Seddon, M.D., was selected as the first astronaut surgeon in space.

Dr. Seddon graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in 1973.

1979

Al Farmer, M.D., moved the campus from a semi-annual to an annual admissions policy.

Dr. Farmer (1932-1984) served as Chancellor from 1975-1980. His practice specialty was Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases.

1980

The E.P. and Kate Coleman College of Medicine Building dedicated.

Before her death, Mrs. Kate Coleman made this gift, one of the largest in UT (Memphis) history, in memory of her husband, E. P. Coleman who was a prominent Southeast Missouri farmer, landowner and philanthropist.

1981

The G.H. Stollerman Clinical Branch Library opened its doors in the Coleman Building.

Dr. Stollerman was professor and chairman of the Department of Medicine from 1965-1981.

1983

John Autian, Ph.D., proposed the Biomedical Research Zone in Memphis.

Dr. Autian was the vice chancellor for Research and dean of the Graduate School of Medical Sciences.

1985

New library building completed, later named the Lamar Alexander Building.

This building came to be the home of the Health Sciences Library, the College of Nursing, and Information Technology Services.

1985

The UT Mummy Team did a forensic examination of an Egyptian mummy head.

Using X-rays and other techniques that did not destroy any part of the mummy head, which was acquired from a local family, the team was hoping to discover more about the mummy's life, including questions about her health, diet, embalming methods and cause of death.

1986

The Memphis Center for Stone Disease opened using extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy.

The center contained new advancements rendered to treat kidney stones. Located in the William F. Bowld Hospital, it was a collaborative medical service.

1997

Dr. Peter Doherty of UT Memphis is the city's first Nobel Prize winner.

His pioneering research in immunology led to a better understanding of organ rejection after transplants, better comprehension of genetic susceptibility to disease, and new approaches to vaccines. He is honored with one of the world's first holographic monuments.

1998

UTHSC and the University of Memphis issue first joint degrees from the UT School of Biomedical Engineering and the U of M Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Frank A. DiBianca is a 30-year UT employee and he chaired this department for many years.

1999

Drs. Valery Kukekov (left) and Tatyana Ignatova are leading an effort to combine the fields of tumor cell and stem cell biology in a new program established at UTHSC.

2003

Regional Biocontainment Lab funded

In 2003, UTHSC was awarded nearly $18 million in federal funding from the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) to be used to build a laboratory on the UT-Baptist Research Park site for biomedical and biodefense research and research training. The UTHSC RBL is one of only 13 NIAID-funded Regional Biocontainment Laboratories in the country.

2004

First streptococcal vaccine to be tested in humans in more than 25 years

Dr. James Dale is a co-author of a paper that will appear in the Journal of the American Medical Association describing a phase 1 clinical trial of a group A streptococcal vaccine that was invented in Memphis, Tennessee at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the University of Tennessee.

2004

College of Pharmacy and Khon Kaen University of Thailand sign 10-year affiliation agreement to promote graduate study

This affiliation agreement will make it possible for Ph.D. students in the Pharmacy Administration Graduate Program at Khon Kaen University's College of Pharmacy to travel to Memphis for a three-month period and train under one of the professors in the UT College of Pharmacy Health Science Administration Graduate program.

2004

UT Center of Excellence for Children in State Custody received a Psychiatric Services Achievement Award from the American Psychiatric Association.

The State of Tennessee has designated our program a Center of Excellence for Children in State Custody and our services extend to 16 East Tennessee counties.

2005

For the fifth consecutive year, the Academy of Student Pharmacists (ASP) was named "Chapter of the Year" by the American Pharmacists Association.

2006

The first ever Executive Dean for the College of Medicine -- Steve J. Schwab, M.D. -- joins UTHSC to supervise all three COM campuses statewide.

2007

Cancer research building opens in Memphis

Opened in September 2007, our cancer research building is the first new building to be constructed on the University of Tennessee Health Science Center campus in 17 years. The building houses more than 65 investigators in 32 wall-less research labs, designed to encourage collaboration on interdisciplinary basic and translational cancer research.

2007

The Honorable Howard H. Baker, Jr., former U.S. senator, received the first honorary degree ever conferred by UTHSC.

Baker was granted the Doctorate of Healthcare Leadership at the UTHSC graduation on Friday, May 25 at the FedEx Forum.

2007

Groundbreaking for new College of Pharmacy on UT-Baptist Research Park, second building to be constructed on the site.

Dean Gourley and P4 student pharmacist Eboni Shipp discuss the location of the student auditorium in the new college of pharmacy building (left). An artist rendering of the new building (bottom right).

2009

The Crisis Center, a 24-hour telephone hotline for those in distress, relocated to space on the UTHSC Memphis campus.

Located in the heart of the Memphis Medical Center near downtown, UTHSC is providing the space to the non-profit organization at no charge.

2010

Faculty, staff and students brought cash and checks to three different campus locations between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

2010

First African-American Dean named in 99-year history of UTHSC.

Dr. Noma Bennett Anderson, PhD, will be the fifth permanent dean to lead the College of Allied Health Sciences since its founding in 1972. The college annually enrolls about 560 students in its 15 professional degree programs that offer career choices in Audiology and Speech Pathology, Clinical Laboratory Sciences (Cytotechnology, Histotechnology and Medical Technology), Dental Hygiene, Health Informatics and Information Management, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy. Classroom choices include traditional, online and distance-learning options.

2010

UT Baptist Research Park will be completed in six phases over a 10-year period.

UT-Baptist Research Park is a state-of-the-art campus designed for the highly specialized needs of Memphis' growing bioscience community. The park will feature 1.2 million square feet of laboratory, research, education, and business development space located on a 10-acre campus in the heart of the Memphis Medical Center.

2011

New Pharmacy building in Memphis expected to open in the summer

In 2010, the Plough Foundation awarded a grant of $4.5 million to the College of Pharmacy. The grant will be used to establish the Plough Center for Sterile Drug Delivery Systems, a more than 5,800-square-foot facility on the sixth floor of the new UT College of Pharmacy Building. The building is under construction on the UT-Baptist Research Park, which is adjacent to the UTHSC main campus.